


The End

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 14:22:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7848439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The real story of what happened to Mississippi Jones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End

Mississippi Jones almost slipped on the grass as he skidded to a halt at the final switch to open the secret cave. The switch turned quite easily despite the age of the thing. That was slightly disappointing, usually he preferred a little more difficulty to spice up his adventures. A deep creaking sound emanated from the cave, and Mississippi hurried his steps to get back down to the bottom.

He did slip there, ending up on his rump. He got up, cursing as he rubbed the damp fabric there. Ah well, he could just have Cornelia clean them for him while he told her all about his adventures. The horn would sit on their mantle, gleaming golden, while a fire crackled merrily and tea steamed in cups set between them. He’d found a tea set that she would like while he was searching for the old aqueduct and trying to evade his pursuer.

The cave was damp and chilly, but surprisingly well-lit. The stones themselves seemed to glow with an inner light, and the light coming in from outside also helped. But what caught his interest was the horn sitting in the doorway to the other chamber. Mississippi wanted to explore further, but there would surely be time for that later. Only a very foolish adventurer explored further when there was a treasure to retrieve and a villain to evade.

Mississippi picked up the Horn of Araxa, feeling the power within it even as it sat in his hand. It was golden, just as the legends had foretold, and shaped like an ancient battle horn. It glowed with a white light, one that a few of the legends had also mentioned. Maybe his next adventure could be retrieving some of Aideen’s Light…

But that could come later. Mississippi took out his journal and wrote another entry in it. It was important to document his finds, and this secret vault seemed safe enough. Even if it was rather empty. He’d just signed his last entry when the light seemed to grow dim. He looked up. Strange. The sun had been high in the sky when he’d come in.

“Hello, young explorer.” Mississippi took a step back, clutching the horn in one hand and his diary in the other. How could he be here? He’d seen this man plummet from the cliffs of Nova Alexandria and die! Or he hadn’t been moving, at least. But that fall, or at least the fall from The Great Thunder, would have killed anyone.

And yet here he was, standing in front of him and blocking the light. But how could he be blocking the light when he was so thin? Mr Sandman seemed to emanate darkness, sucking all the light from the room into a black hole. Mississippi felt faint. This man had dogged him on so many adventures. The Harp of Aideen, the Stone of Healing, the Book of Writing. But what could he want with the horn?

“What are you doing here?” asked Mississippi, clutching the horn a little tighter. He realised that he was trembling. He could run further into the vault, through the doorway behind him, but there was the risk that Mr Sandman would corner him. There could be traps in there too, for all he knew. It would be fitting for an ancient structure to be riddled with traps. “I saw you die!”

“Well, you see, for some people, death is more of an… inconvenience,” said Mr Sandman. “And you have inconvenienced me greatly, little man.” His eyes almost seemed to glow red, but that couldn’t be. His shadow crept forward despite the lack of light source. Where it touched him, Mississippi felt cold.

“You’re a monster,” said Mississippi. Mr Sandman laughed.

“Now you are starting to understand,” said Mr Sandman. He didn’t look like a man anymore. He was a being of shadows, of darkness. “Now, hand over the horn. It is time for you to stop playing with things that you do not know the meaning of.”

“No,” said Mississippi. “No, you can’t have it. I’ve dedicated my life to searching for this! It should be mine!” No, that wasn’t right. He felt like he should give the horn to… someone. This man. But no, not this man! Another man. A cloaked man.

_Give it to me._

“No!” Mississippi said louder. The horn glowed brighter, but even it couldn’t light the darkness. It felt heavy now, a physical thing.

_Give it to me. **Now.**_

“No, I won’t let you have it,” said Mississippi. Mr Sandman tilted his head, the only part of him still visible.

“Very well, then,” said Mr Sandman. He did something, and the shadows grew darker. Angrier. The air grew colder, and Mississippi shivered. There was a sharp pain, and darkness became all he knew.

Mr Sandman wrenched the horn from the dead man’s grip. There was a diary on the ground, but after a cursory flick through, he left it where it was. The body would have to be moved, though. Stage an accident. Hmm… there were many boulders around these parts. But why should he dirty his hands when he had minions to do it for him?

“Sabine, clean up this mess,” said Mr Sandman, tucking the horn inside his coat. He left her to it while darkness wrapped around him and left him outside Nova Alexandria. There, he entered the place and hid the horn in one of his own secret vaults. Only darkness could open this vault, so there was no worry of another stupid mortal stumbling across it or even getting it.

He left Buck to guard this place. That horn could ruin everything he’d worked so hard to achieve. Stupid adventurers, sticking their noses in where they weren’t needed and making a mess. But at least this one was finally taken care of.


End file.
